Easy Eight Sherman tank from Tamiya

The legendary U.S. tank M4 Sherman first went into production in February 1942, and would undergo a number of modifications in order to combat the powerful threat posed by its opposing German counterparts. One such variant was the March 1944 M4A3(76)W, which took the late production hull and its superior armor, fitting it with an effective 76mm anti-tank gun. While this extra weight ultimately proved the undoing of the (76)W, it provided the impetus for the development of the horizontal volute spring suspension (HVSS) which was married with wider tracks on the M4A3E8 “Easy Eight” for a smooth and easy drive.

The Easy Eight missed the 1944 Normandy landings, but it was manufactured from August 1944 and took part in the Battle of the Bulge towards the end of the year. 2,500 were produced by September 1945, when its manufacture was halted. The Easy Eight would continue to serve in Korea in the years that followed.

I’ve got several requests to add some pictures of the Easy Eight Sherman tank from Tamiya. The kit is boxed by Tamiya but as stated above, the kit is actually from Asuka Models. All the parts are nice and crisply molded free of flash or seam lines. If you are looking to build the Sherman tank featured in the movie Fury, this is the model kit to go with.

This nice model kit features individual T-66 working track links and suspension. The kit also comes with 4 decent figures to increase its value as well as a modest fret of photo etched parts to further detail your Sherman Easy Eight. The periscopes are molded in crystal clear styrene. The cast on the turret is outstanding.

I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this kit to a friend. Enjoy the pictures and remember, you can always enlarge them further by clicking on the ”View Full Size” link. It will open a new window.

George has been hosting review sites and blogging about toy collectibles, travel, digital photography and Nikon digital imaging since 1998. His first model kit build was a Testors 1/35 DODGE WC-54 in 1984.